Abstract:
This study investigated the role of informal distributed leadership in dealing with the complexities of adopting technology
innovation in Higher Education contexts. In the study, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions
were held with a group of informal leaders in a South African university. The findings suggest that informal distributed
leadership works best in promoting technology adoption when there is a clear understanding of: (1) the locus of control
of technology adopters; (2) power contestations between academics and students; (3) alignment of technology with
pedagogical goals; and (4) shared intentionality between the core group of informal leaders. In practical terms, the study
offers a middle-of-the-road approach to diffusion of technology innovation as an alternative to the ineffective top-down and
individual innovative leader (bottom-up) approaches. For originality/novelty, the study introduces the distributed leadership
theory into the technology adoption discourse.
